Stronger Than Death
by AnaFoxy
Summary: Edward and his daughter Rose grieving for Mary 14 years after her death. Story takes place in the garden of Edward's London manor but shifts back to Port Royal and Great Inagua following his memories. My tribute to Mary


"Dad!"  
Edward Kenway startled as the voice of his daughter returned him back to reality, back from the memories he's been playing in his mind for seems like eternity wishing to merge into them once and for all, to return back to that moments of happiness he shared without even understanding how badly he'll be missing them till his very dying breath. These memories he'll never manage to forget finding a sweet delight in drowning in the grief they bring.

The garden of his London manor is merged into darkness of midnight, only full moon is flooding open nooks with faint light. Frosty air of early April fills his lungs and freezes watery trails on his face as rough steam clouds accompany his every broken breath out.

He tears himself away from staring at the moon and turns to the girl behind, rashly rubbing face in useless attempts to get rid of treacherous tracks.

His daughter came up to him and the look at her made his pain even stronger, almost excruciating as first thing came into his mind was that he saw the ghost of his love reaching him to take his sorrow away, but the vision faded with a sudden loathsome realization it was impossible. Still she's the young image of her – straight nose, thin red lips, high cheekbones, determined chin, subtle jaw, dark brown hair… even hairstyle, though he never asked her to make hair like this – her features in everything – save for the eyes shining with deep ocean blue, just like his own.

"Aye, darling?" – he hardly manages to imitate wide smile feeling like a dead man inside.

"I've been looking for you everywhere" – she complained snarkily just to show him another one feature similar to her mother's. But her voice, along with face, expressed more care than irritation as her eyes observed father with worry and the understanding reached her in no time.

His wretched gaze returned staring into the sky as he made a slight unlikely smirk and it lingered on his face only for a short moment. Her remark slipped away, never reaching his mind.

"You know what's the day, Rosy?" – Edward croaked without shifting his stare.

"The day mum's died " – her answer put as statement. She made it up that she was searching for him, in fact she knew he would come here as he always did at this day as long as she can remember herself. She knew it that no storm, no hurricane, no blizzard would be able to keep him inside this night.

"Aye…" – he said trying to keep himself together but several more drops run down his face. Abruptly he shifted look at Rose and the expression of pain his eyes were giving made her feel her owns got covering with tears as well – "You know, you're so like her" – he added with gentle smile, stretching hand to tenderly stroke daughters face, eyes blurred as reminiscence started taking him away. He sniffed with bitter understanding the impossibility of having both mother and child standing beside him right now.

* * *

Even if Rose never knew her mother it never stopped her from loving Mary Read, as father never missed a chance of telling his daughter endless stories about the most fearless woman ever furrowing Caribbean Seas. His eyes always took a bright perky gleam as he was recalling their adventures and describing her ocean-like temper. And, Rose, herself, could never get enough of these stories so passionately wishing that life could turn upside down to the chance her mother never died and her daughter could know her and enjoy mum's presence in her life.

She heard this, that she is like her mother, more than she could remember, and, once, when she was five-years old, she even asked daddy to make a drawing of her mother so that she knew how she looked like. This please of hers he grasped seriously and it took him two weeks of sleepless nights to give her the accurate image of her mother's face drawn on a big piece of paper.

"This is your mother, dear" – he told Rose offering her a paper and placing a gentle kiss on her sweet baby temple as her eyes went wide taking the second in her life look of her mother since the day she was born and of course not remembering it. Edward watched her growing quiet as she was observing her mother's every feature, grasping the paper so carefully with her little fingers as if it was the sacred treasure. He run his hand over the paper stroking Mary's face and feeling lump in this throat and gulping it down brokenly – "You'll be just as beautiful as she was when you're grown up" - he added not able to shift his eyes off the love of his life face, hypnotized along with their daughter.

Saying this he never imagined she'd become almost Mary's exact copy.

* * *

"Fourteen years passed" – Edward sighed looking into nowhere – "But this wound of mine time hasn't managed to heal" – he shakes his head looking down – "and it would never be"

Rose clutched his hand and pressed tightly with support – her father was the whole world for her and no one could take his place in her life – nor her sister or brother, and surely nor her stepmother. Her sister carried the same loss she did all her life – they both lost their mothers being little girls, but Jenny at least had a chance of knowing hers, though maybe this was something that made the grief stronger as she was able to miss her remembering behavior and appearance, Rose never wondered about it as she, herself, wasn't given such a luxury. Her mother died the day after giving birth to her, died on father's hands, two steps from freedom, and this he couldn't forgive himself.

* * *

He told he managed to find their daughter, their sweet little Rose, that very night, on the plantation she was to be brought up living without knowing her parents under the authority of cruel strangers and took her to the island he possessed. He never told her how ruthlessly he slayed every man standing in his way that night, killing even those who were pleading for mercy as none of them showed any mercy to the pregnant woman, begging for warm blanket and proper food, forcing herself to stab her pride in order to born his baby alive. None of them showed mercy to the woman fiercely begging not to take her daughter away, screaming and crying for her loss till her voice was out. None of them showed mercy to the woman dying in fever as no one gave her a warm blanket and proper food before and now she was already too weak to beg them. He wanted every single man of that bloody prison to be bleeding to death and his savage hunger for vengeance was unquenchable as none of them was able to take Mary's soul back into her breathless body. None was able to take her back into his arms.

Rose had very faint memories of Great Inagua, and most of the time she thought she only imagined she remembers it. White house with big garden, a small town down the hill ending with a harbor, fancy trees having leaves only on their tops and a red-haired woman with kind eyes wearing sweet-scented flowers in her hair. Anne, her name was, as father told her – mum's best friend taking care of her little daughter and being so close to her that once she even named her "mama", though Rose didn't remember this, only knew it by her father's words.

She was only two-years old when Dad took her away from there, stepping up the ladders of his ship, away from the dark-brown man with funny black lines on his face and big wide smile who used to visit her a lot and let her play with a shaky little thing in his ear. And away from that lady with kind eyes faded with tears as she waved final goodbye to her, knowing she was losing the only piece of her dear friend left. Rose burst into tears watching her face moving away and father started calming her down quietly singing in her ear the song about Captain Kidd she liked most of all shanties he knew. Then she remembered a fair-haired girl in fancily puffy blue dress played with her during the long voyage, the sound of white sails flattering on the wind, waves lapping at the ship, seagulls chittering in the sky and beardy men all around bustling about two little girls and mostly about the smallest one, with dark-brown hair and big blue eyes so resembling the fierce Pirate Queen some of them once knew.

* * *

To her stepmother's upset, Rose liked visiting the port of London, watching sailors fussing here and there restoring and fixing trade ships and sometimes whistling familiar shanties or even new ones she never heard. She felt a terrible need of being the part of their world, she subconsciously wished to enjoy the feeling of tar on her hands, the salty wind in her hair and endless horizon with lapping waves in front of her.

Sometimes father took her on little voyages along Thames sailing his old brig named the Jackdaw which was the inseparable part of her life as long as she could remember, more close to her than manor they lived in. Edward even let her stand behind the helm and stir, watching her and admiring how she held herself with deep pride. They never took Jenny or Haytham with them - time, they were spending on board the ship, belonged only to the two of them - father and his beloved daughter, taking after her mother so much.

He was never able to refuse any of Rose's favours and wishes, blankly understanding Mary wouldn't appreciate this kind of weak indulging, still being a strong and persistent man Edward wasn't strong enough to tell no to their sweet little Rose, the only thing left of Mary he had and not really wishing to, as after her mother's death their daughter became the whole life for him and he was ready to try to take the moon for her if she asked.

And so he couldn't turn down her request to teach her how to fight like her mother fought. From this, they couldn't make a secret and so were training in the garden almost every day making Haytham totally excited and Tessa with Jenny sighing with failure to understand such strivings of Rose and Edward's full submission to spoil young girl's upbringing pandering a lady to turn into a tomboy always covered with scratches and bruises.

* * *

When Rose turned twelve she started complaining there was something wrong with her eyes as sometimes she couldn't control her sight and was terrified she's going crazy. On her father's question what she meant she explained that sometimes the world got dark in her eyes save for people and some objects – she was scared that when she needed something or was searching for someone it or he turned gold and that sometimes people were shining with red – and Edward understood that Rose inherited her parents' talent of eagle vision. So he decided to tell her everything about Templars and Assassins feeling Mary wouldn't forgive him if he left their daughter ignorant about things her mother devoted her life to. The girl kept silent till she fully listened him through and then said she wants to take a look of hidden blades, so Edward showed her his promising he'd get her own contacting to the local assassins headquarters. Since then their trainings took a slightly different course as now Edward started teaching his daughter not only how to fence but mostly how to keep balance while running down narrow ropes and how to stay hidden and unnoticed breaking through bushes while tracing your target.

Tessa accused him of allowing his younger daughter too much but he brushed her words away as it wasn't her prerogative to tell him how to bring up Rose who was too smart and independent to live in fetters of constant being a lady obsessed with lads and dresses, adjusting to the high society's opinion; and so he recommended his wife to mind rearing Jenny and Haytham and stop meddling into his upbringing Rose. If Tessa was offended she didn't show it carrying her usual restrained and well-brougth-up air and only rewarding him with understanding look.

Edward was grateful she wasn't asking him for more of their relationships he could offer – she was smart woman and she realized very fast it was Rose's mother still possessing his heart. Tessa wasn't very young when they met, she already turned over thirty so she was grateful for all the care and support he was giving her, she could never ask him for more as she realized he was unable to give her his love, moreover his daughters took her heart at once so she never hesitated marrying him when he proposed. Still she never stopped noting his vacant stares he got from time to time, even in bed with her making her feel on top of the world with joy he stayed somewhere far away.

Of course Edward treated his elder daughter Jenny with all the love he could, adoring her as all his children, along with his only son Tessa gave him, but she always saw that his dark-haired daughter's taken the biggest part of his heart and was never going to share even the tiny part of her possession with anybody else, just like her mother, whose portrayed Tessa saw each time entering Rose's bedroom, looking into the hawk-like eyes of the woman still haunting thoughts of her husband, whose love for her appeared stronger than death.

* * *

Rose snuggled up closer to her father and he embraced her.

"I wish I knew her" – she sobbed and a small drop fell down Edward's chest.

"So do I, darling" – he sighed feeling his heart tearing him apart with irreplaceable loss no fainter than fourteen years ago. She said she'd always be with him, but was it enough to comfort Edward who started feeling he only pretends to be alive among all these important people of London society around – only a shell of that man so full of life he once was. His younger daughter was the only one with whom he turned into that young Edward Kenway that once visited Nassau and decided to stay – that adventurous and reckless pirate – so alive and so jolly.

"You know you're my most beloved child, Rosy?" – he asked sniffling.

"It's not really fair, dad" – she squinted at him with perky sparkles in her still watered eyes telling she's fully awared of this fact and only wants to tease him, just to cheer up the atmosphere a bit.

Edward scoffed caringly kissing her temple:

"Still, it's true"

They were standing like this – looking into the sky and moon and stars – grieving for his love and her mother, without breaking this sacred silence, but through some time Rose whispered:

"Dad?"

"Aye?" – he looked at daughter seeing Mary in her, but perfectly understanding the cruel reality.

"Do you think mum's with us now?" – she sadly pursed her lips giving father an open gaze.

"Of course she is" – Edward assured daughter slightly rubbing her shoulder for her to feel his comfort – "she always with us" – he added, sure about this at least right now. He could feel Mary's standing beside them, he could almost see her kind grin and that love and confidence in her eyes she possessed even on her dying breath. He felt their little family is full at the moment as Mary's standing here watching them remembering her.

"Dad, do you love Tessa?" – Rose's quiet question as she couldn't imagine how it was possible for father to be someone else's husband while he was still deeply in love with her mother.

"No woman ever made me feel the way your mother did" – he answered feeling both bitter and sweetness of these words.

"Then why did you marry her?" – She frowned and Edward shifted gaze trying to find right words to explain.

"You needed mother – both Jenny and you" – he said and Rose shrugged her shoulders whether not sure about it and still understanding father is right – "Still I care for Tessa and I respect her" – he added.

"Is this what mother wanted for us?" – this matter disturbed her a lot recently as year after year growing more and more mature she started to truly understand her mother's temper and the believes she shared in her life and she hoped mother would be proud of her daughter wanting to choose the path she once chose herself.

The drawing, father did when she was little, now stood framed in her room, on her dresser right near the mirror so Rose got a habit of looking at her and comparing with herself in the mirror finding that at some point lots of people could mistakenly think it's Rose drawn and only a scar crossing the right brow and going down under the eye betrayed this is another woman and each year several clear differences between them were coming slighter and slighter. Rose talked with the image of her mother often having a feeling she can hear her answering and not needing her voice to understand, somehow finding it extremely comforting, bringing an understanding mum takes a huge part in her life even if she's not alive.

Edward didn't answer at once, taking his time in thinking the question through so Rose had to stir him up.

"Dad?"

He shifted his eyes on her, breaking from deep thoughts, not wishing to lie to her but still finding it hard to tell this something she won't like and may be that will shake their calm and peaceful life. Finally he sighed and started explaining:

"Your mother hated this country, Rosy. She hated this city she was born in. She hated the inequality reigning here, when people who have everything rule others who have nothing not wishing to help them improve their state. She despised the king, all the lords and their certainty they stand on top of the world and have right to decide what other people's life must be like. She sailed away from here searching for better life, for something worse fighting for, something more important than money and power. And she found the assassins. What more she found lands allowing people to live free, found people who tried to fight for freedom and this she appreciated the most"

Rose looked at father with uncertainty if she really wanted to put out on him things she had on her mind or not, as she was pretty sure he won't appreciate them but after gulping brokenly took her chance and dared:

"I want the same" – she confessed ardently and it was like a pin stabbing his already aching heart as it is. Rose knew it would hurt him but couldn't help but telling him this because he was the only person able to understand her.

"You're too young, dove" – he only said trying to put away this matter.

"But mother was younger when she joined the navy. And I already know a lot. I know how to fight and how to assassinate, you know I'm capable" – she wasn't giving up but Edward cooled her down with a strict look.

"Enough, Rose. I'm not going to argue about this now when we're grieving for your mother"

She squinted and pressed her lips in obstinacy crossing hands on chest and raising her determined chin:

"You're just too settled down with your life here, dad, and you're terrified to risk it! What's the point mum tried to put you on the right path and notice things more important in this life if you returned in here all the same and started to live among these pompous saps she despised?!"

"She gave me you to stop wrinkling my nose only for plunder!" – Edward protested raising his voice. He felt the same stubbornness Mary always provoked gathering inside him each time she started lecturing him and he recollected suddenly that was quoting her words.

Abruptly a strong blow of wind got up making both Kenways shudder.

"See, your mother doesn't like what you say" – he said with a slight grin, amazed and content with a turned out coincidence now feeling dead sure Mary's around though this thought still seemed insane for him.

"Huh" – Rose smirked – "Bet mum wants to kick your ass completely agree I'm right" – the presence of mother was undeniable for her, as she felt it most of her life.

"Rose, mind your language!" – Edward widened his eyes in astonishment, but more pleased than angry as the line was just what Mary could blurt in the middle of their usual hassles.

Rose giggled and patted him on the shoulder then returning into his embrace.

"You don't seem really furious with this" – she admitted – "Imagine what Tessa would make if I made such a line in her presence" – her blue eyes beamed with laughter.

"You're my beloved little girl and you'll always be" – Edward answered smiling – "how can I be angry with you for long?

"You'll never know" – Rose said cheeky but tenderly enough not to be harsh with father.

They allowed silence take the night again and stood feeling the grief and sorrow started to slowly let them go substituted with piece overwhelming their minds and hearts and assurance of Mary Read being here and relieving their pain with her sedative presence.

Edward could hear her voice whispering in the wind and through the tears threading his eyes again he smiled, comforted with her voiceless words. Covering his eyes he could swear he felt she stroked his face with her tender loving hands. She was here for him, as she promised, she didn't abandon him and was watching over him and their daughter, proud of them both.

"Dad" – Rose said quietly and he slowly opened his eyes enjoying the feeling of security and piece Mary gave him.

"Hmph" – he hummed showing he's listening.

"Let's go on Jackdaw" – their daughter asked, her eyes shining with anticipation of the thought of forthcoming sailing – "Just the three of us!"

Wide smile made all the tears go away.

"Sure, why not!"

They stalked off the garden's glade, heading to the gates, not willing to come back to the manor to take something with them, both scared of losing the sense of her presence on the way, but she was never meant to leave them. Edward could feel her swaying steps walking along with the man she loved more than anyone in her life and daughter she gifted him to save his mind from running insane after losing her. He still could hear her beloved husky voice.

_I'll be with you, Kenway. I will. _


End file.
